The National Football League has been struggling ever since President Donald Trump took aim at those who chose to disrespect the flag during the national anthem. Since then, hundreds of players have protested, fans have boycotted, ticket sales have dropped, and ratings have plummeted.

On Monday night, the Denver Broncos squared up against the Kansas City Chiefs. Cornerback Marcus Peters stayed off the field during the national anthem to protest. The trend of the ratings dropping in a downward spiral continued as they were down 9 percent from last week's already poor “Monday Night Football” showing.

With a 7.2 in metered market results, last night’s MNF was down 9% from last week’s Philadelphia Eagles’ 34-24 triumph over the Washington Redskins.

While not the season low of the October 16 battle between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts, last night’s Chiefs vs. Broncos match-up is very close to the previous MNF season low of the October 9 Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears games.

A pairing that can’t be comfortable for a league that is struggling to get ratings traction halfway through the current season as internal disputes swirl, plus political controversy and the feeling that too many games are cannibalizing the audience.

As IJR previously reported, ESPN executives are considering dumping “Monday Night Football” because of a decline in profitability.